MMA News: Cody Rhodes praises Jack Swagger ahead of Bellator Debut
What's the Story?
Jake Hager, aka Jack Swagger, hopes to make a name for himself in the MMA world this Saturday at Bellator 214 and has gotten some encouragement from the professional wrestling community.
Cody Rhodes, his fellow WWE alumni, said that Hager would beat his opponent, but in a less PG way.
In Case You Didn't Know
Bellator 214 will take place Saturday, January 26 on the Paramount Network and will be headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader.
Hager will make his MMA debut against amateur fighter J.W. Kiser, whose current record stands at 0-1.
The Heart of the Matter
Wrestling news sites have been covering Hager's debut in Bellator including PWP Nation, who sent words of encouragement to the former World Heavyweight Champion.
Rhodes would retweet the good luck wishes with a much more vivid description of Hager's victory.
Rhodes and Hager worked for WWE for nearly the exact same amount of time with both wrestlers signing with the company through their developmental system in 2006.
Their career and accomplishments mirror each other with neither man being considered a main eventer. However, Hager held the ECW and World Heavyweight Championships prior to his departure from WWE whereas Rhodes never held a world title in the promotion.
Rhodes left WWE in the summer of 2017 and would work on the independents before working primarily for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling until earlier this year when he announced his role with the new promotion, All Elite Wrestling.
Despite Hager making his debut in MMA, he is still very active in professional wrestling and is the current Lucha Underground Champion.
What's Next?
Hager is the odds-on favorite to beat Kiser tomorrow at Bellator 214 despite his lack of experience in MMA.
Kiser has more experience through his amateur fights, but only scored one victory in the four fights he's participated in.